The strips of fortune tied to the tree rustled softly in the wind, clinking against each other with a faint clatter-clatter.
After sending the message, Aoki Kei didn't get an immediate reply from Kita Ikuyo.
He waited a bit, and eventually saw the "Read" status appear below the message.
Not long after, a reply popped up:
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[Kita Kita]: It's the Jishu Shrine! The most famous shrine in all of Japan when it comes to love and romance. Of course I want a charm for love!
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Aoki Kei simply replied:
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"Got it."
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Then, he stepped into the shrine.
Following the proper shrine etiquette, he had to complete a short ritual before requesting a charm.
As instructed, Aoki cleansed his hands at the purification fountain at the entrance, then stepped up to the shrine, rang the bell, and prayed.
While praying, he quietly recited Kita's name in his heart.
But when it came time to state a wish… he hesitated.
The love charms here weren't cheap, but that price came with a high level of attention to detail—especially from the shrine maidens assisting visitors.
When Aoki explained he was getting the charm on someone else's behalf, the miko politely but firmly informed him of an "important requirement."
"If you're requesting a love charm for someone else, you need to speak aloud their wish and describe the kind of person they hope to meet. Otherwise, the charm won't be effective."
Even though Aoki Kei didn't believe in these things, he still wanted to go through the process properly—after all, it was a charm for Kita.
So he pulled out his phone and messaged her again:
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[The shrine needs your wish and the kind of person you want to meet… Can you send it over?]
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This time, the message was marked as read almost instantly.
But no reply came right away.
About thirty seconds later, a message finally appeared:
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[Kita Kita]: Um… Kei-senpai, is all of that really necessary?
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Aoki copied the miko's explanation word-for-word in his reply:
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[It's not technically required, but if you skip it, the charm might not be effective. Wouldn't that make the whole thing kind of pointless?]
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[Kita Kita]: Oh… oh…
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That was it.
Just "oh oh"—no follow-up.
What did that even mean?
That she didn't care whether the charm worked, and just wanted one for the sake of it?
Staring at his phone, Aoki felt slightly puzzled.
Meanwhile, on the other end, Kita Ikuyo was blushing furiously, hesitating with her phone in hand.
Telling Kei-senpai this kind of thing… wasn't it practically a confession?
But if she didn't say it, the charm might not work…
Lightly biting her lip, she hesitated a moment longer—then took a deep breath and made up her mind.
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[Kita Kita]: My wish is…]
[Kita Kita]: I want to be with the person I like in the future. And the kind of person I want to meet…
[Kita Kita]: An older senpai, someone who can play both guitar and piano, who gets top grades, and is kind… it has to be someone like that!
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…
When the message finally arrived, Aoki stared at the screen in silence.
There wasn't much difference between what she'd written and an outright confession.
He had some idea of Kita's feelings.
But facing them like this—so directly—left him unsure of how to respond.
Truthfully, even now, Aoki Kei wasn't ready for something like this.
Sure, he had been kind to Kita. He'd done a lot for her.
But from his perspective, they were just small, casual acts—things anyone would do.
It's one thing to like someone. It's another thing entirely to truly know them.
From a different angle—
He could admit that he liked Kita, maybe even liked Nijika, Ryo, and Bocchi too, in their own ways.
But as he'd once said—liking someone wasn't the same as loving them.
Love came with weight. Commitment. Sacrifice.
To be with someone meant accepting everything about them—the good and the bad.
And right now, Aoki Kei still wasn't ready to give someone everything.
Having experienced a previous life of mediocrity, only to be reborn into a hellish start in an orphanage, he knew what it meant to feel powerless.
From striving to enter Tokyo University to now chasing the dream of "conquering Japan through music," his goals had shifted—but the sense of unease in his heart hadn't gone away.
So—
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[I understand.]
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That was all he replied.
Once he saw there was no follow-up message, he put his phone away.
Then, he turned back to the shrine maiden and shared Kita's wish.
But the process wasn't over yet.
Following the shrine's procedure, Aoki clapped, offered a final prayer, and retrieved the charm after another round of blessings—since it was for someone else, the full ritual was required.
It took a while, but finally, the shrine maiden handed him the charm.
It was pale pink, with the words "縁結" (Enmusubi – Tied by Fate) embroidered on it, and a little bell dangling at the bottom.
It looked beautiful—even if it didn't work, it would still make a nice accessory.
He slipped it into his wallet and rejoined Hiratsuka-sensei's group.
…
After visiting the Jishu Shrine, the group stopped by Otowa Waterfall.
Located beneath the Kiyomizu Stage, the three streams of water flowing from Mount Otowa each represent a different blessing: academic success, love, and long life.
Legend says drinking from one of them brings good fortune in that area.
Many students lined up to drink, but Aoki Kei wasn't interested—too many people, and honestly, he wasn't keen on the idea of drinking mountain spring water.
After leaving the temple, he bought a few special "Lucky Sakura Bells" sold only at Kiyomizu-dera.
After morning ended.
Following the school's itinerary, they had lunch together.
In the afternoon, the group headed to Ninenzaka and Sannenzaka for sightseeing.
Since it was peak autumn leaf season, there were lots of free activities to enjoy along the historical streets.
They stayed until around 5 p.m., and then Hiratsuka-sensei led them back to the hotel.
After dinner, they were granted free time—but told not to stray too far.
Feeling thirsty and wanting a bit of fresh air, Aoki Kei went downstairs to a nearby convenience store to buy some water.
While there, he turned down a friendly approach from a college girl—who didn't recognize him, but apparently found him handsome enough to try chatting him up.
And then, right as he was stepping out, he bumped into Yamada Ryo.
"Hey there, cutie. You're really good-looking. Mind if we exchange contacts?"
Standing by the aisle convenience store, Ryo held a strawberry milk in one hand, straw in her mouth, and casually threw out the line.
Aoki twitched slightly at the corner of his brow, giving her a full up-and-down glance.
Then, he replied:
"…Ryo-san, when exactly are you planning to return my clothes?"